This locomotive in green livery appeared in the sidings at Knighton Junction, a mile or so south of Leicester station, a couple of weeks ago. Whatever call it is, it was not a familiar sight on English rails in my trainspotting days. Thanks to some helpful people on Twitter I can tell you that it is a British Railway Class 27 originally known as D5410. Rather wonderfully, it is owned by Sandwell MBC. You can read all about it on Wikipedia: D5410 was built by BRCW as Works No DEL253 of 1962. It was allocated to Cricklewood East in August ...

The Liberal Democrat candidate for the upcoming Lewisham East by-election is Lucy Salek. Lucy is currently the director and founder of an organisation supporting the global aid and development sector as well as Chair of the charity Action for Refugees in Lewisham. She has worked in the humanitarian aid sector for over a decade, working in a variety of roles, including as a volunteer overseas. Prior to this, she worked for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Parliament. Lucy said: I am really honoured to be able to represent the area in which I grew up and now live. Now, more ...

Liberal Democrat members have made their choice for the forthcoming Parliamentary by-election in the Labour, but heavily pro-Remain, seat of Lewisham East: I am incredibly excited to have been selected as the @LibDems candidate #Lewisham East by-election. I can't wait to get on the campaign trail in my home town!#LibDemFightback https://t.co/bryuK3xxz2 — Lucy V. Salek #FBPE (@lucyvsalek) May 12, 2018 On being selected, she said: I am really honoured to be able to represent the area in which I grew up and now live. Now, more than ever, society appears fractured, and during my campaign I will focus on the ...

Here's an unexpected building to find in a rural village like Brigstock, even if its pale stone is characteristic of the place. Pevsner says it was built for the clothing firm Wallis & Linnell in 1873-4 and notes that it was made thirteen bays long but only two wide so there was maximum light for all the workers. He also says the building was converted to offices in 1982, but it appears empty today.

As John Betjeman once wrote: St Pancras was a 14-year-old Christian boy who was martyred in Rome by the Emperor Diocletian. In England, he is better known as a railway station.Today is St Pancras Day. What with that and its being Steve Winwood's birthday, it is no wonder 12 May is a public holiday here on Liberal England.

Whether it's university vice chancellors, the chief execs of FTSE 100 companies, MPs or financial traders, there always seems to be a justification for huge pay rises while most staff get little extra. Now that is happening at Shropshire Council. The chief executive is in line for a whopping £47,000 pay rise in basic pay, while staff are expected to get just six percent. I think they should both get the same. There is no doubt that Shropshire Council pay rates are lower than other councils. There is also no doubt that the council is having trouble in recruiting and ...

Second paragraph of third article ("The Next Doctor"): The real Doctor doesn't have time to solve this mystery though, because they are confronted by a creature that seems to be part animal, part Cyberman - a CyberShade. The Doctors try to capture it, but it's too strong. This is awfully thin stuff. I'm sorry to say that, because most of the New Who spinoff literature has been of decent quality, and indeed a lot of good creative effort went into the Doctor Who Storybooks at this time of the show's history. But this is basically a series of reviews of ...

A double dose of "by-election" campaigning today. First up with the Southwark team, where the brilliant Humaira Ali, William Houngbo and Damian O'Brien face a delayed election (yes, technically not a by-election, fellow election law enthusiasts) due to the sad death of a candidate during the scheduled election.

On Brexit island it's all getting a bit Lordships of the Flies"A friend of mine at university once pressed snooze on his alarm clock for eight and a half hours. Can you imagine? Every 10 minutes ? a sort of torturous, self-punishing deferment that ends up being the worst of both worlds. This remains Britain?s Brexit strategy." Letting neural networks be weird ? A.I. scream for ice creamIn which a neural network names ice cream flavours. Boston Dynamics' robot is back, and now it can navigate entire offices by itself. It can even climb stairs ???Cute little robot pupper is ...

The Resolution foundation's proposal for a grant of £1 000 to every UK citizen when he or she reaches the age of 25 has received something of a panning on the Guardian's letters page but I think it is a good idea I first came across it during a "refresher week" for teachers of economics at Bath University in the late 1960s. There a Professor Cedric Sandford argued for what he called a "state dowry" of £500 for all children when they reached the age of 18. Although using the "dowry" for the deposit for a house was mentioned this ...

Sadly, MPs narrowly rejected the chance to hold the media to account by completing the second stage of the Leveson Inquiry. Christine Jardine made a very powerful speech supporting the amendment for which she was attacked in The Sun, something we're sure she'll wear as a badge of honour. As a former journalist, she obviously enthusiastically supports a free press. There is quite an amusing moment where she praises Ed Miliband and the camera cuts to him. The text of the speech is below. I rise to speak in support of new clause 18, which my friend the right hon. ...

The Hull Daily Mail reports: Former city council leader Colin Inglis is quitting Labour after nearly 44 years in protest over the party's stance on Brexit. In a letter to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he says he has cancelled his membership of the party he joined as a 17-year-old... In the letter, he said: "... The fantasy of building socialism in one country is absolutely not worth abandoning our commitment to the most socially progressive social, economic and political experiment humankind has ever engaged in. I am not the sort of member you should be losing but you're about to ...

Rimrose Valley Country Park Sunday, 20th May, 2018 from 10am Meeting at the Rimrose Valley Beach Road Entrance, L21 2PP. If you've made any signs and banners, please bring them along For full details please check out the Rimrose Valley Friends Web site via the link below:- www.rimrosevalleyfriends.org/events/3199/

I guess many of passengers using Northern Rail in recent times will have asked themselves this question. Cancelled trains due to a lack of rolling stock and or drivers/guards seem to be an everyday occurrence nowadays and of course, as with Merseyrail, Northern are deeply into industrial action with rail union RMT over loss of train guards on new rolling stock. I'm told that locally cancelled trains on the Ormskirk – Preston Line are now a common occurrence, but it's clear that Northern's problems extend over the whole franchise area and it must be the case that Arriva, who own ...

Please support the Lee Welsh Memorial Game - a charity game in the memory of Lee. All monies raised will be donated to DAMH, Dundee Association for Mental Health. Poster below and more details available here :